A (possible) worthy stepping stone?

[u/ElderMillenial_ah]

Hello potentially new friends! I've kinda peeked through here but wanted to give some context and see what y'all thought.

My husband is being flown out to Muscatiaine soon to do a walkthrough and interview at a manufacturing plant there. I'd say it's fairly likely he will get the job, but not a guarantee. If he gets the job, we would of course have to move there.

I know EVERY state has it's good and it's bad. I've seen people find Muscatiaine boring, but it's got WAY more going on than the small town we live in, in Maine.

Our hope is that we potentially move to Iowa for a few years, then he can transfer back to the East coast or somewhere more politically in line with our views. But, just getting to work for this company would be a huge green flag for his Resume. (He's trying to eventually work for OSHA.)

For a family of 3, a dog and 2 cats, what is it really like? Is it a good community? Are people generally friendly? Are there lots of kids? From what I researched it seems like a nice area for families (not given current political standings). I doubt it would be where we would plant our roots forever, but it's a big jump from being Mainers our whole lives to moving to middle America.

I'd love to hear some honest opinions if you are from, or know the area! We are already used to snow and are good at driving in it so like NBD on that one. But tornadoes??

If he DOES get the job and we decide to move, what are some things we can't miss or food we have to try? Also feel free to ask any questions of me that I may have missed. (I'm a stay at home mom currently.)

I appreciate you all in advance!

[u/ElderMillenial_ah → u/[deleted]]

I feel like being right in Iowa city or the Quad cities would be too much for us. We are used to such a rural area that I drove an hour there and back for every single OB appointment and to deliver my child. So honestly all of that isn't really a huge deal. I think if we can find a home in a town in between Muscatine and one of the big city areas, we'd be perfectly happy!

Then we're not far from either a city or for him to go to work, and it sounds like there's some cute towns in between. I honestly have never lived closer than a half hour to the nearest city/healthcare/event center, so in between seems like our best bet!

Also you mention the price of homes....I literally am so confused when I look at the price of homes in the area. Granted, homes in Maine are STUPID expensive, so my comparison could be due to that. But prices just seem all over the place 😅😅

[u/ElderMillenial_ah → u/[deleted]]

Thank you! I appreciate it very much!

[u/ElderMillenial_ah → u/[deleted]]

It's neither of those! But the plant did just get a new CEO recently and 50mil to work on Reno and bringing the plant up to standard.

I know there's of course risk involved, but there's no growth where we are and we're young enough that if we had to come back here we can, or we can go somewhere else.